Studio Hopwood: Dollar Bay

Martyn White

Posted on July 10 2018

Studio Hopwood reaches for the sky with their exciting Dollar Bay project, designing a four storey penthouse with impressive views across London.

Studio Hopwood has always gone against the grain, producing exciting interior spaces full of passion, colour and eccentricity. As the popularity of colour returns to the interior design world after an excessively long spell of grey and muted tones, Studio Hopwood continues to charge ahead as they challenge perceptions, experiment with materials and create genuinely artistic interiors for the world to admire, along with their owners. One of Studio Hopwood's latest completed projects is the impressive Dollar Bay penthouse in London, and I had the great pleasure of visiting the property to find out more about the design.

Set out across four floors of the thirty-one story Dollar Bay tower, the project makes the most of the incredible views across Canary Wharf and the city of London in the distance, creating an exciting world of its own to hide away and relax after those busy days own on the ground. The main living quarters are set out on the higher floors to utilise the views. The penthouse's first-floor (level 28) houses the three bedrooms including two with en-suite bathrooms and connecting winter garden for all three rooms. The second floor (level 29) contains the kitchen, informal dining space and living area with surrounding winter garden on two sides. On the third floor (level 30) we see the formal dining area that connects directly to a double-height space that forms a winter garden with jacuzzi. The highest floor (level 31) hosts the gallery terrace with down to the lower floor jacuzzi area and impressive sights across the city.

The living, dining and kitchen areas form the heart of the penthouse; a large open-plan space that connects everyday activities from the morning breakfast, food preparation, evening dining and relaxing on the sofa to enjoy a film. The lounge embraces vibrant colours, using Zoë Luyendijk's 'Blooming Out Loud' rug design to extract a colour palette of yellow, red and orange hues. With two of the three walls consisting of floor to ceiling windows, all of the colour has been applied through the use of fabrics, upholstery and mesmerising home accessories, making it simple to transform the character with a few simple changes.

On the opposite side, the kitchen and connecting dining area showcase elegance and contemporary finesse by using dark wood as a backdrop to clad the majority of the kitchen cabinetry. White lacquer has been selected to draw the eye towards the centre of the space, applied to the workstation and kitchen island. Adjoining to the island is a beautiful cut of white marble that forms the breakfast bar and dining table. Dining chairs upholstered in mustard yellow fabric subtly connect the dining and living locations while defining the two spaces as their own.

The dining room is a spectacular treasure trove of metallic blue and gold colouring. The centrepiece; a contemporary dark wood dining table that can seat eight people, highlighted with a mesmerising thirteen pendant brass chandelier. The table sits on a Jan Kath 'Spacecrafted' rug design, inspired by photos from the Hubble Space Telescope which inject a wide array of colour and character into the interior. The windows have been dressed in an opulent full-length golden fabric that frames the spectacular views while providing privacy for those intimate dinner parties.

The dining room leads out to a double-height Winter garden, complete with its very own hot tub. Sunk into the floor and surrounded by oversized cushions, this area is perfect for livening up a party or winding down for a relaxing evening of bubbles, absorbing the charm of the surrounding city.

The gallery terrace is located on the highest level, overlooking the hot tub and lower Winter garden. The extended glass cladding reaches high above the terrace providing the most impressive views of the city and everchanging London sky above. Decorated with retro style furniture pieces such as the wingback leather chairs, zebra print throw and 'Toilet Paper' Lips cushion, this is the place to let go and enjoy life. The terrace is the beautiful connection between the penthouse and the outside world. Tucked out of the way above the main living quarters, the terrace is the perfect multi-functional space, easily adapted for life's requirements from yoga studio to a quiet retreat, party space or even a sky garden.

The calming retreat of the lowest level is reserved for the penthouse's three bedrooms, each designed with a unique and vibrant personality. The master bedroom features an impressive cantilever bed with built-in side tables and full-length satin upholstered headboard. The raised furniture removes obstructions from the floor, presenting a sleek and minimalist design that adds a further layer of serenity to the interior. Set against a backdrop of soft grey and muted natural tones, the master bedroom glistens with opulent gold accessories through a selection of table lights, fabric finishes and smaller decorative accessories. The en-suite boasts a free-standing bathtub, double sink with marble countertop and direct access to the Winter garden for those magical pamper evenings.

The second bedroom, adorned with salmon pink and turquoise decor has a dressing area as well as en-suite with shower, while the third smaller and central bedroom has a built-in wardrobe with access to the floor's shower room.

The project was a fantastic new development opportunity by Mount Anvil who invited Studio Hopwood to decorate and dress one of two penthouse apartments in the brand new Dollar Bay tower located on the South Dock in London's Canary Wharf. The tower, designed by Simpson Haugh & Partners is a new landmark for the area and due to its prominent location on the dock, boasts views that will never be obstructed by any future developments.

For further details on the design featured and to discover the other projects completed by Studio Hopwood, click to view the official website via the link.

Photography: Andre Beasley, courtesy of Studio Hopwood.

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